


Ain't No Home For Me

by Utini501



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Bonding through Smash Bros, But because I have no idea how to write with it's implications in mind, Cuddling, Deltarune Ending Not Taken Into Account, Deltarune Spoilers, F/M, Fun, Male Kris (Deltarune), Not because I hate it, Some sad stuff, headcanons, mild romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-18 14:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utini501/pseuds/Utini501
Summary: Kris walks back home from Asgore's shop at night, and finds a starving Susie trying to break into the local diner's dumpster for something to eat. He takes her back home for some real food despite her protests, and sees a more vulnerable side to her as they bond over vidya and family issues. A piece of work I started for some Susie fans on another site, ported and improved over here.





	1. Starvin' Susie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On his way home from Flower King, Kris finds a starving Susie desperately trying to break into a locked dumpster. Shenanigans ensue.

"Well it sure was nice having you over, Kris! I tell you, it's a shame we don't get to see each other more often!"

"Eh, works for me."

"Oh... really?"

"Yeah. You're old, lame, and uncool. If we keep hanging out, you're going to cramp my style, old man."

"W-Well, if you really feel that way-"

"Nah, I'm kidding. It was real fun hanging out with you too, dad. See you."

"Ha ha, oh you little rascal! Have a safe trip home... OH! And don't forget to bring these tulips with you! Tori always had a soft spot for them, and when she finds a bunch waiting for her when she gets home tomorrow... ha, well that ought to make her day!"

"...yeah, I bet it will. Probably..."

* * *

With a bouquet of white tulips in hand and the autumn air blowing in his face, Kris stepped out of Asgore Dreemurr's flower shop and walked down the moonlit path leading home. Today had been a good day, for the most part: for the first time in a while, he paid his adoptive father a visit that lasted longer than a few brief minutes. In fact, he actually pitched in with a lot of Asgore's busy work: he helped fix up his pitiful living quarters so he wouldn't have to sleep in squalor, he did a grocery run to stock his fridge with more food than just one pickle, and helped sell flowers by assertively putting his foot down and making sure his good-hearted, if overly generous father actually charged money for his bouqets. 

It was quite different from Kris' typical routine when it came to weekends alone: he was usually content to play video games, listen to the CD's Asriel left him, or mess around online. He tended to avoid chores and busy work like the plague, and as friendly as he was, being around Asgore just felt uncomfortable due to the tension and pain related to his and Toriel's rather brutal and messy divorce... but his adventure in the Dark World changed all of that. Or more specifically, watching his new friend Lancer get brutalized by his own father, who then threatened to murder him on the spot made him really appreciate having Asgore as his dad. Was he embarassingly prone to hugs? Yes. Was he a terrible businessman? Oh yes. But at the end of the day he was still a nice guy and a loving father, and never treated him any differently than his biological son Asriel. Kris was eternally grateful to be adopted by a guy like Asgore… which made it all the more heartbreaking that his flowers were going in the trash.

It wasn't a decision Kris made lightly, mind you. He wanted nothing more than for Toriel to return home from her faculty retreat and have her heart melt at the sight of such beautiful flowers waiting for her, all the drama and arguments between her and Asgore tossed aside as they repaired their broken bridges... but he wasn't naïve. Things didn't work that way. He had her routine memorized by now: she'd roll her eyes, make a snotty remark that went something along the lines of "Oh, flowers. Typical." and may or may not toss them in the garbage in front of him depending on if her hatred for Asgore outweighed her love for him that particular day. So what was the point of bringing these flowers home if their ultimate fate was to languish under a pile of Toriel's trash? And thus, Kris resolved to toss them in the dumpster behind the local diner: it would cut out the middleman, and would leave Toriel in a better mood since he wasn't constantly reopening the wounds of their divorce. Given his low grades and lack of awards compared to his big bro, Kris didn't need to look like a bigger disappointment...

 _'Sorry, dad. I'll find some way to make up for this.'_ Kris promised as he approached the diner, which still felt homey and welcoming despite the dark windows and huge "We're closed, sorry!" sign visible from inside the glass doors. _'Maybe I should get that Sinder app Bratty loves so much installed on your phone...'_

But the sudden, jarring sound of something heavy banging against metal behind the diner made Kris nearly jump out of his skin, and all thoughts of helping his dad meet sexy singles in his area took a backseat to alertness and tension.

_'What the-'_

Another bang, this one followed by a raspy, menacing growl of "Dammit!" before the speaker struck whatever earned their ire again. Whoever they were, there was no way they were up to any good. Suspecting an attempt at breaking into the diner through the back door, Kris reached towards his pants pocket for his phone only for his arm to fall limp at his side. He thought back to his adventures in the Dark World where he fought bizarre creatures and even stranger people with a sword and shield, and a half-grin spread across the left side of his lips. He dropped the tulips, picked up a thick stick that was laying on the sidewalk, then gripped it firmly as he snuck around the back of the diner. In the past he would have been more than willing to let Officer Undyne and her boys in blue handle this sort of thing, but now that he had combat experience under his belt? He was positive he could kick this unseen criminal's ass. After all, what was a common burglar to a person who defeated an insane jester that could do anything?

Grabbing the base of his stick with both hands, Kris crept around the side of the diner with his weapon held near his chest and as he got closer to the corner, he could hear the speaker mumbling under their breath.

_"Oh come the hell on, some people have to EAT, you stupid assholes!"_

And upon hearing their voice better, Kris gasped and dropped his stick, the sound of it falling covered by the sound of fists against metal. _'Wait a minute, that voice... oh hey, I know who that is.'_

Gruff, growly, yet noticeably feminine and with a slight hint of a southern twang to it... Kris peered around the corner behind the diner and sure enough, he was staring right at resident face-eating dinosaur bully-turned battle bro (sis?) Susie. Who, surprisingly, wasn't trying to break into the diner through the back door... but rather, was trying and failing to open the dumpster Asgore's flowers were going to be thrown in. It had a thick metal padlock on it that gleamed triumphantly in the late night darkness as it stood up to Susie's punches and kicks, and didn't even budge when she smashed a cinder brick against it.

"Oh my god, are you SERIOUS?!" Susie roared as the brick crumbled into pieces. "What the hell are these things even made of?!"

Susie's next move got a wheezy suppressed chuckle out of Kris: she grabbed the padlock with both hands, kicked her feet up off the ground and squatted against the front of the dumpster with her feet pressed onto it with all their might. "Alright you stupid son of a bitch, you're gonna open up... and you're gonna LIKE IT!"

While Susie strained, groaned, and growled as she tried and failed to rip the lock off the dumpster, Kris was utterly captivated by this bizarre sight. He wasn't sure how he felt on account of all the emotions boiling around in his soul. A part of it was the sort of pity he felt for the coyote who kept trying and failing to catch the roadrunner in those old cartoons he and Asriel would watch. Another part of it was the urge not to laugh, since it was still pretty goofy watching this cantankerous brute go to such ridiculous and cartoonish lengths to open a dumpster. But another part of it? It was a weird, primal sensation that made his spine tingle, his heart race, and his breathing heavy...

...love.

Okay, maybe love was a stretch, but god  _damn_ did Susie make him feel things. Her muscular physique, height, eye-obscuring Joey Ramone haircut, grungy fashion sense, freckled cheeks, and surprisingly cute smile all got his heart fluttering for sure. But the sheer passion and bestial aggression she threw into getting shit done, even something as mundane as opening a dumpster... well,  _that_ made his heart pound like a jackhammer. He loved girls with limitless determination... and the ability to kick his ass, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Which was why the longer he watched Susie struggle with the padlock, he realized that something was... off. Really, really off. While she was initially feisty and aggressive, her assault on the dumpster grew uncharacteristically wimpy in a hurry. Her breathing was dangerously labored, beads of sweat rolled down her scaly forehead, and her powerful death grip on the locker turned into pathetic, half-assed tugging. It didn't take long for her to simply give up and drop the death grip on the padlock: with an anguished sigh, she planted her feet back on the ground and bent over the edge of the dumpster, breathing like she had run a marathon and clasping a hand over her eyes while she clasped the other to her middle. She stood there for a few seconds, and Kris flinched when he heard a gurgly roaring noise from where Susie stood.

"Ngh…"

Susie squeezed her hand tighter against her stomach and whimpered pitifully while she visibly trembled. The odd gurgling noises continued, and Kris realized that it was the sound of Susie's stomach growling. It was certainly a noise he had grown acquainted with: the girl seemed hungry every waking moment of her life and she was prone to cramming just about anything edible down her throat: other people's lunches, cake, chalk, pinecones, twigs, leaves, allegedly the faces of her bullying victims... Kris never felt too bothered or concerned by it, but now that he not only saw her in legitimate physical pain, but also desperate to break into a dumpster? It was setting off a ton of red flags in the boy's mind, and he resolved to get to the bottom of this.

"Hey. You okay over there?"

Susie flinched and stood up straight before turning around, and grit her yellowed fangs as Kris waved politely at her.

"Wha- oh goddamn it Kris, you trying to give me a heart attack or something?!" Susie snarled with newfound aggression, the moonlight illuminating the blush burning in her freckled cheeks as she stepped away from the dumpster. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry." Kris apologized with a little bow of his head. "Just wanted to make sure you were doing alright."

"Well I was, until you decided to creep up on me like some kinda psycho, you nerd!" Susie slugged Kris on his arm hard enough to make it slightly ache, and he could feel warmth creep into his cheeks in response. "Sheesh... what the hell are you even doing out here, anyway?"

"Not dumpster diving, that's for sure."

Susie flinched in response to Kris' blunt remark, and the color in her cheeks grew more vivid as she tried to formulate an excuse. "Dumpster div- psh, really? Really, dude? That's what you thought I was doing?"

"Yeah."

"WELL I WASN'T!" Susie hollered defensively. She immediately calmed down, but her profuse sweating and fidgety hands weren't lost on Kris. "Nah, man, you see... I was working out."

"Working out?"

"Yeah! I pretended that the dumpster back here was a huge, ugly monster, and was practicing some new ass-kicking techniques! You know, just in case if we run into trouble in the Dark World again!"

Susie was betrayed by her stomach, which snarled angrily at her almost as if it were calling her out on her BS. Susie answered by punching herself in the gut, and laughed nervously while Kris nodded insincerely.

"Mmm  _hmm._ "

"Yeah, like... the Knight? Or that queen the crazy clown dude talked about?!" Susie's stomach fought back and growled louder than ever, prompting her to slug it three times. "Th-Those guys sound like real tough sons of bitches, so I'm making sure that I'm still on top of my game if we ever run into them! Heh, at this rate, I'm gonna hand them their asses on a silver platter for sure!"

"Huh. I see."

"Y-Yeah! So you get it, right? I'm NOT dumpster diving, I'm just prepping for the day we kick more bad guy ass! Understood?"

Kris pretended not to hear the gurgling protests of Susie's insides and nodded. "Okay."

"Good! Now why don't run on home? Your mom's gonna have a heart attack if she knows you're out this late!"

"Okay." Kris repeated, prompting a sigh of relief from Susie. He turned around and started heading back towards the sidewalk, but stopped after a few steps. "Oh, Susie..."

"Yeah?"

Kris reached into his pants pocket and removed a fist full of foil wrapped chocolate kisses that he offered to the dino girl. "Here."

"Wh-What?!"

"Friends don't let friends dig in dumpsters for food, you know?"

Susie recoiled in shock, and as she did her bangs parted, revealing a pair of soft, pretty yellow eyes staring down at Kris with bewilderment and shame. Her face burned the hottest it's ever been, and she balled up her claws into fists. "Y-you stupid asshole! What did I tell you I was doing?"

"Working out." 

"Yeah, exactly!" Susie barked, now smothering her stomach's complaints with both arms pressed against it. "I'm not digging around for ANYTHING! So... so take your candy and piss off!"

Susie's stomach now made a harsh noise that experts referred to as "Dying whale sounds" which made her double over, grunting and whimpering as she suppressed a cry of pain. She breathed heavily and mustered every bit of willpower she had to keep standing, the tremors racking her body growing in intensity all the while.

"You sound starved, Susie." Kris remarked as he shoved the candies up to her snout, "Come on, I've got milk chocolatey goodness right in the palm of my hand. You know you want it."

"W-Want it?! As if!" Susie hissed, wiping the drool from her lips and backing away. "I've got plenty of REAL food to eat, you know!"

"Like rotten eggs and bad vegetables?"

"Goddamn it Kris, I don't need your charity! So just shut up, and LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE ALREADY!"

Susie slapped the kisses out of Kris' hand, and shoved him with enough force to smack him against the diner wall. The chocolates clattered onto the pavement and scattered every which way. She then reared back a fist, and Kris put up his arms in self defense. But the punch never came: Susie stumbled and fell to the ground on her knees, and bent over groaning and whimpering.

_'Geez, she doesn't even have enough energy to throw a punch...'_

Despite nearly having his lights knocked out, Kris couldn't bring himself to be angry with Susie. No, more than anything, he was concerned with her horrible condition... and admittedly, a tad annoyed. She meant a lot to him after saving him from being killed by the King of the Dark World, and he wasn't about to let her starve herself to death out of foolish, stubborn pride. And so he reached into his pocket again, held up his hand, and...

_*thwack*_

Susie flinched and cried out as a candy kiss bounced off the tip of her snout. She looked up at Kris, whose bangs parted to reveal red eyes that were narrowed sternly as he grabbed another kiss from the pile in his hand.

"What the- hey!"

_*thwack*_

Kris pelted her with another kiss, this one bouncing off the top of her snout. Susie threw up an arm defensively just in time to block a third.

"Cut it out!"

Kris lobbed the fourth kiss over Susie's arm and bonked her on the top of her head. She repositioned her arm to cover it, and left her snout open for being pelted by a fifth.

"Dude, I'm serious!"

Kris threw kiss after kiss after kiss, alternating his angles so every piece of candy hit Susie while she ineffectively swatted at them.

"If you don't stop that, I'm... I'm gonna thrash you! I'll bite your face off! I mean it Kris, I totally will!"

Kris was undeterred in his assault, and soon emptied his clip after a rapid-fire series of peltings. With a determined little huff he reached back into his pocket for another handful of chocolates and prepared to throw them, before-

"OKAY, OKAY, YOU WIN! Just... just stop it already..."

-she surrendered. Susie bent over with her hands covering her face, her chest heaving and stomach gurgling as her resolve finally crumbled into powder. Kris grinned proudly as he crouched down to Susie's level and extended his hand full of kisses one last time.

"So... you ready to eat now?"

Without looking up, Susie swiped the kisses out of Kris' hand and shoved them down her maw, metallic foil and all. After swallowing, she desperately began grabbing the other kisses that were laying on the ground before gobbling them up as well. Kris stood back up and crossed his arms triumphantly while Susie wolfed down the last of the chocolates and sighed, content to have something in her belly. She turned up to face Kris and smiled warmly, her golden eyes swimming with tears. It was a side to Susie that few, if any had seen, and Kris felt fortunate to catch the aggressive dinosaur in a far better mood.

"Heh... th-thanks for the candy, nerd. You didn't have to feed me, though..."

"No need to thank me." Kris replied with a chuckle, "And no need to get all teary-eyed on me, either. I had food, you were hungry, it was just the right thing to do."

Susie recoiled and let out a cry of "Grah!" before hastily rubbing the tears from her eyes. "H-Hey now, I'm not crying! Nah, ha ha, It's uh... it's an allergic reaction! Yeah, when I eat aluminum my eyes get all watery, ya know?"

The pair then stood in awkward silence before Kris broke the silence by addressing the elephant in the room... or rather, behind the restaurant. "Hey Susie, is everything okay? You seemed like you were literally starving to death, do you have enough to eat back home?"

That caught Susie off guard alright: the dinosaur's eyes went wide with shock, then she grabbed a muscular bicep and glanced shamefully at the ground. "Wha- what kind of question is that? I mean, thanks for asking and all," Susie blushed briefly at the last part, "But... but I'm doing okay. I had my three square meals for the day, I uh... heh, I guess they just weren't filling. I mean, I'm a growing girl, after all!"

"Really? Like what?" Kris raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Well uh... I ate three pinecones and an empty cigarette carton for breakfast, then I swiped a box of colored chalk from some little kids playing hopscotch for lunch and for dinner... well, that weird deer girl fed me. I think Joel's her name?"

"Noelle." Kris corrected.

"Noelle, yeah! I chomped down this red envelope she gave me. Which made her run away bawling, for some reason." Susie tilted her head in confusion while Kris wheezed back a laugh at the poor girl's expense.

"But yeah, like I said: I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner! But... well, you saw me back there. In spite of eating all of that I was still starving..." Susie turned back towards the padlock on the dumpster, which had a logo Kris was all too familiar with: a picture of a Froggit with a circle and a slash over his face. It was an industrial strength monster-proof lock that you absolutely could not open with brute force: he learned that the hard way when Toriel used one to lock her candy kisses from him. "But seriously, putting locks on their dumpster... so what if I pop in there for a snack every now and then? It's GARBAGE, it's not like they're gonna miss it!"

Suddenly, Susie's stomach growled again. With an irate huff, she slugged herself in the gut and blushed as she turned to face Kris. "Uh... heh, ya got any more candy? I'm still pretty hungry."

"Nah. You ate all of it." Kris admitted, turning his pockets inside out for proof.

"Damn it... well, thanks anyway, dude. I'll find something else to eat, like..." Susie glanced to the side and gasped happily. "A-ha! Like that!"

Susie bent over and grabbed a cigarette butt off the ground. "There are plenty of these laying around! Don't worry Kris, I'm gonna be fine..." Susie flipped the butt into the air and opened her mouth widely... and failed to catch it due to Kris swatting it away. "HEY! What the hell-"

"Hey, hey: relax." Kris urged, waving his hands reassuringly towards Susie. After she calmed down, he continued.

"Look... if you really need something to eat, you can do better than literal garbage or chalk." Kris grinned invitingly. "Let's go to my place. I've got a ton of great food you can snack on over there."

"Whoa! Uh..." Susie sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Really? You're cool with letting me come over?"

"Yeah. After saving my ass in the Dark World, it's the least I can do."

Susie frowned and mulled it over. She looked like she desperately wanted to turn down his offer, given her earlier attitude about not needing "charity", but her need for food won out in the end. "Eh, why not?" she answered with a shrug. "I mean, I don't NEED your food, but the stuff at your place ought to be a nice change of pace from what I've been eating."

"Heh, well what are we waiting for? Let's get you something good to eat." Kris and Susie walked out from behind the diner, and made their way to the northernmost part of town. "Just a quick heads up: try not to eat too much. If mom comes home to an empty fridge tomorrow, she's going to have an aneurysm. And not the good kind."

"Aw, what's the matter? Don't want mommy yelling at you?" Susie then slugged Kris in the arm. "Heh, you wimp..."

The pair laughed, both red in the face and their hearts fluttering as they made their way to Kris' house, where a delicious butterscotch-cinnamon pie was just waiting to be devoured...


	2. The Kids Aren't Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silly shenanigans and a Freudian slip from Susie makes Kris realize that things are way worse for her than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This is gonna be kind of a short chapter, you guys. I was originally intending for this to be a two parter story, but this whole bit when fitted with the rest of the fic would have led to it feeling too bloated, so there will still be one more chapter after this. Real sorry about this!
> 
> Also, if you're unfamiliar with Smash Bros, a bit of the terminology used will probably make you feel lost.

"Heh, this place ain't too bad. Feels pretty comfy."

Kris' house wasn't anything special, really: it was a decently spacious two story dwelling just like any of the others in Hometown, albeit incredibly cozy thanks to the rustic feel of the furniture Toriel decorated the place with. Bookshelves hand-made by Asgore before the divorce (And the only memento Toriel kept, albeit more out of convenience than sentimentality), chairs and couches that were real coarse, fuzzy, and itchy, a TV that felt like it was straight out of the seventies, and a pet cactus kept in the upstairs hallway. But it felt great hearing Susie praise it all the same.

"Heh, thanks. It's not much, but... well, it's home." Kris sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, if you want to take a seat, feel free. I'll get some food for you in a second."

"Nah, sitting and waiting's for chumps." Susie snorted, baring her fangs in a mischievous grin. "I'd rather take a better look at my favorite nerd's stomping grounds and get a feel for the place, you know?"

"Sure, sure. Just don't break anything, okay?"

"I'll try. No promises though."

"Susie!"

The dinosaur winked and shot a yellow, toothy grin at Kris before racing upstairs. While he stepped into the kitchen to assess his options, Kris chuckled to himself.  _'Heh. A real firecracker, that one.'_ He then frowned momentarily.  _'Seriously though, she better not break anything or else mom's going to flip out: being alone with a girl in the house AND letting her destroy stuff? She'll either have a heart attack or send me to one of those boarding schools where the nuns keep hitting you with rulers. But anyway...'_

Kris glanced towards a special glass holder that contained one of Toriel's signature butterscotch-cinnamon pies: a treat so delicious it could make even the likes of Officer Undyne tear up.

 _'Oh yeah, Susie would love this.'_ He then rummaged though the fridge and pantry and grabbed more food that he thought Susie would enjoy. Potato chips, saltine crackers, brownies, ice cream, cans of Vienna sausages, frozen hamburgers, chunks of cheese, half a box of leftover pizza- er, "pezza" from Ice-E's, and so much more were gathered around the pie holder. Kris was about to grab a bag of marshmallows before the horrific sound of creaking, groaning springs from above distracted him. Kris looked up, and gasped as the light fixture on the ceiling shook ominously. 

_'Oh hell no.'_

"SUSIE! SUSIE, STOP!" Kris took off in a flash, racing up the stairs with his heart rate at maximum overdrive. He flew down the hall, swore as he accidentally slapped his hand against the hallway cactus, and threw open the door to his bedroom. Inside, Susie was having one hell of a good time bouncing up and down on Kris' bed, the boxspring raising a hellish racket under the weight of the enormous girl's combat boots.

"Hey, Kris!" Susie squealed with as much childish glee as her harsh voice could convey as she bounced, her head almost hitting the ceiling. "These are some kickass beds you've got here! I never knew they could be this bouncy!"

"Susie, cut it out! You're going to break it!"

"Break it? Psh, nah! Beds were made for this kind of thing!" Susie laughed. "So come on, why don't you climb onto that other bed and join the fun?"

"No, I'm serious! The mattress and box spring can't handle that kind of pressure! Please Susie, mom's gonna kill me if something happens to them!"

In the past, Susie would have undoubtedly retorted with a "Suck it, nerd!" and kept bouncing without a care in the world, likely throwing in a middle finger for good measure. But the second she actually looked at Kris' face and saw just how distressed he was, Susie's excitement turned into shame as she quit bouncing and landed butt-first on the mattress: a testament of what their adventure in the Dark World did to their relationship.

"Wait, seriously? Dude, I'm sorry: I was just trying to have some fun, I didn't think I was gonna break it..."

Kris sighed with relief and reached upward for Susie's shoulder. "It's okay. Just be more careful, alright?"

"Yeah, I will, it's just... I haven't done that kind of thing since I was eight, ya know? My grandma was cool with me jumping on the bed, and seeing one so big and soft... it really took me back." 

Susie sighed wistfully, the grin on her face nostalgic for days gone by. Frisk could relate: just looking at Asriel's empty bed really made him miss the days he and his brother spent playing together. Their little adventures in the town and it's surrounding wilderness, the hours-long gaming sessions during the weekends, the nights Asriel comforted him when their parents' fighting got particularly loud and unbearable... his throat got uncomfortably tight, and he wondered if Susie felt the same.

"You know, if you're in the mood for some fun, I could drag out some old video games of mine and Asriel's." Kris offered, now in the mood for a good gaming session thanks to their shared feelings of nostalgia. "It should be a fun way to knock out a couple of hours."

Kris had no idea if Susie was the gaming type or not, and thanked his lucky stars when Susie's grin went from wistful to enthusiastic, signaled by the baring of her fangs. "Video games, huh? What kind?"

"Well, Asriel left the Gamecube when he went to college, meaning that we've got some cool options. We can take turns with Viewtiful Joe or Zelda, maybe play some Mario Party, kick each other's asses in Smash Bros..."

"Smash Bros? Oh hell yeah!" Susie whooped as she gave Kris a slap on the back that nearly made him fall over.

"Heh, well you sure sound excited."

"Well why wouldn't I be? I LOVED that game when I was little! It's been so long since I've gotten to sit down and play it!" Susie then corrected herself with a frown. "Well actually, I played it in that local tourney hosted at Flower King last year... but I played like, five minutes before I got kicked out. God, Berdly's an asshole..."

Kris sniggered, agreeing all too much with Susie's complaint. That tournament was fresh in his memory: Berdly mastered the art of chain grabbing with the Ice Climbers and kept trapping a helpless Susie in infinite loops of being repeatedly grabbed and smacked before killing her. Some would say it was her fault for playing as the clunky and slow Bowser and doing it wrecklessly to boot, but given Berdly's obnoxious taunting and pop-offs, he found it hard to sympathize with him when Susie strangled him nearly to death after losing to such cheap tactics.

"Heh, well It'll take a couple of minutes to prepare all your food, so in the meantime? Feel free to get some practice in. You're gonna need it."

"Cocky, aren't you?" Susie sneered. "Well ya better not cry after I thrash your ass!" She then grabbed Kris by the back of his shirt collar and lifted him up to her snout. "But more importantly, you better not pick those dumb eskimos. 'Cause if you do, I'll rip your face off. Got it?"

Kris flashed a thumbs up.

"Good." Susie dropped the teen and ruffled his hair playfully. "Now one more thing before we head downstairs..."

Susie reached into her jacket and pulled out a bunch of folded up pieces of paper from it's internal pocket. Kris blushed deep crimson, absolutely mortified while Susie grinned wolfishly.

"You're a damn good artist. Though you might want to pick a better hiding place for your lewds, 'cause ya don't need to own a bed to know that people always hide smut under the mattress..."

Susie cackled as she left the room and while she headed downstairs, Kris remained rooted in place. He opened the papers, and brushed sweat from his brow as he beheld their contents: hand drawn cheesecake pictures of stocky, muscular, sultry-eyed dragon women striking poses while either dressed in skimpy chainmail bikinis or nothing at all. They were the result of hundreds of hours spent pouring over a high quality, extremely detailed "How to Draw Dragons!" book he picked up from the library a few years back (and never returned, something Berdly LOVED to hold over his head) so he could hone his skills in drawing the women he had a preference for. He was happy to know that Susie enjoyed his art... but boy oh  _boy_ was she going to have fun teasing him about it.

But his concerns for that were overridden by a different set of concerns entirely: the more he thought about her parting words, the wronger they sounded to him: _"Ya don't need a bed to know that people always hide smut under the mattress."_ It wasn't the kind of phrase he'd think too hard about under most circumstances, but it was just one of many red flags that kept popping up the moment he caught her trying to get food from the diner's dumpster. In review: Susie was constantly hungry and eating whatever she could find whether it's normally edible or not. Every day she seemed to wear the same damn jacket, jeans, and shirt combination. Her clothes and body alike had a strong stench while her hair was always messy and greasy. He had never actually seen her home and didn't have any knowledge of an address. And now, there was not only the crack about not needing a bed as if she were speaking from firsthand experience, but the fact that she genuinely didn't seem to know that she could damage it by jumping around on it.

The gears in Kris' head started turning... and before long, he was almost positive that he knew what her problem was. And he hoped and prayed to whatever higher power was listening that he was wrong.


	3. Smash, Sadness, and Snuggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susie opens up to Kris about her awful childhood and personal anxieties over a game of Smash Bros.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: More Smash terminology ahead for those unfamiliar with such things.

"Alright Susie, the burgers are done..."

"About damn time! Bring 'em here already, I've still got plenty of room left in the tank!"

Kris walked into the living room with a plate of rich juicy cheeseburgers in hand, and approached the fuzzy couch Susie was reclining on. All around her were empty plates, bowls, glasses, and bags that lacked anything even remotely resembling a speck of food, casualties of the dino girl's bottomless appetite. He had no idea if this plate of burgers would be enough to sate her hunger, but it didn't feel like too big of a concern at the moment. No, there were far more distressing, important things to worry about...

"Aw man, these look delicious! Can't remember the last time I had a good burger, the ones at school taste like ass." Susie growled as she grabbed the plate, set it on the coffee table, and stuffed a hamburger down her throat. After swallowing it without chewing all that much, she patted the empty couch cushion right next to her. "Alright nerd, I think I'm gonna be OK as far as food goes for now. So how about you take a seat and play with me already? I'm already bored with thrashing the CPU."

"Yeah. Sure."

Kris took his seat and picked up the Gamecube controller resting in front of it. He looked up at the screen, which was already on the character selection menu: Susie had opted to play as fellow reptilian bruiser Bowser, and Kris? Well, it turned out that Susie already selected a character for him...

"Yoshi, huh?"

"Heh, yep. The pink one seemed like she'd be your type." Susie snickered childishly and elbowed Kris in the ribs, prompting him to blush involuntarily. As he predicted, she was getting a lot of mileage of out of finding his sinful art stash.

"Uh, thanks. I don't play with Yoshi a lot but... but I think I can do just fine..."

"As long as you keep both hands on the controller!"

Susie's giggles were now big, bawdy guffaws, and she doubled over from laughing so hard. But Kris remained distant and only half-ashamed, even after they had selected a stage and began the match. Because again, he had a major nagging question stuck in his head that he knew he'd have to get off his chest sooner or later.

_'Susie's homeless, isn't she?'_

Given her appetite, attitude, hygiene, and lack of funds (Her rampage when she was banned from Free Ham Sandwich Day at school made that clear), Susie being homeless felt like a safe assumption. And even if she wasn't, it was painfully clear that she was not living in a safe and loving environment. But how would he even go about addressing such a thing? She got incredibly cagey and combative just from the sheer shame of being caught having to dig around in a dumpster for a decent meal, so Kris could only imagine the meltdown she'd have if he accused her of not having any place to go. He could go over her head and talk with an authority figure he could trust... but would they be able to do anything for her? And more importantly, would they even _want_ to? Until a week ago, Susie went out of her way to terrorize, brutalize, and piss people off, adults included. Alphys was terrified of her, Officer Undyne rode her ass over her lawbreaking, and he overheard Mayor Holiday telling Noelle that she considered Susie a cancer that plagued Hometown. What if he told them about her potential homelessness and they did nothing to help due to considering it karmic retribution for her behavior? Kris knew in the back of his mind that this was all hyperbole and that the adults would be more than willing to help her (Save for Noelle's mother, of course), but at the same time he couldn't entirely dispel the fear of them leaving her to rot...

_"ASS!"_

While Kris pondered as to what his course of action could be, he was still soundly trouncing Susie in Smash. It wasn't exactly hard to do even when he wasn't focusing too much on the battle at hand: She just loved trying to come at him with a non-stop assault of agonizingly slow smash attacks, predictable Bowser Bombs, and easily dodged Koopa Klaws, which were often easily countered with Yoshi's weaker, but faster and more strategically timed attacks. After losing her last stock, Susie spiked the controller into the air off the cushions and snarled in frustration while it fell back into her lap. She slapped a hand to her face, slumped back in the couch... and laughed, shaking her head as the rage dissipated in an instant.

"Aw man, I suck at this, don't I? Heh, good game though." She slugged Kris on the arm, an action that normally made him blush but didn't get much of a reaction out of him this time. Susie seemed to love fishing for that reaction, so when Kris' face stayed that weird shade of Simpsons yellow, she couldn't help but feel frustrated. "Hey, nerd! You listening to me, or what?"

"Oh! Uh, sorry about that, I'm just... thinking about something." Kris mumbled.

"Beefy lizard chicks, probably." Susie snorted. Kris actually blushed this time, and looked away while Susie elbowed him in the ribs. "Ha ha! Come on, you've got nothing to be ashamed of!" She grabbed Kris' head and turned it around, where he was face to face with a blushing lizard. "You've got good taste in women, ya know~"

Kris laughed along with her, and when she let go of his face he smiled a bit in spite of the turmoil in his head. 

"Anyway, let's start another match! And this time, I'm TOTALLY gonna thrash you! I'm just not used to playing against other people, you know?!"

"Yeah, I... I could tell." Kris laughed awkwardly, despite it being the least funny thing he could ever think of given the implications. While Susie kept playing as Bowser, he opted to choose his true main: Ness, a chubby little kid who he... identified with, oddly enough. Maybe it was the striped shirt, but he felt an odd connection with him despite never playing his home series.

Their next match started and to Susie's credit, she was performing a lot better and actually getting more hits in. It was partially due to Ness not being all that great, but also, she really seemed to be quickly adjusting to playing against a real opponent. And it reflected in her attitude: last match she was huffing and swearing like mad, but now? She was grinning non-stop, and the bit of her eyes that were visible from under her bangs were glimmering with a youthful, childish energy, like when she was jumping on his bed. They spent the match playing in this state of serene, happy silence, until they were both down two stocks a piece, and Susie spoke up.

"This is a lot of fun, y'know? Just hanging out, eating junk, and playing vidya... seriously man, thanks again for not listening to my stupid ass when I told you to leave me alone by the dumpster. My night would have sucked so much harder if you didn't put your foot down back there."

"Again, no need to thank me." Kris reassured her, "I'm always happy to help so uh... if you need help with anything, let me know? Okay?"

Kris held his breath, and drummed on the edges of his controller with his fingers, hoping that his insinuation would get somewhere with Susie. He glanced over at her, and was surprised to see she dropped her own controller. She had a pensive hand to her chin, and her cheeks were burning brightly. Kris felt an odd lump of anxiety in his throat. Was she about to come clean about his suspicions?

"Uh... by anything, you actually  _do_ mean anything, right?"

Susie's tone wasn't filled with the ultraconfident bravado he was used to. It was uncertain and shaky, like he was talking to a frightened child. Kris paused the game and set his controller down in a show of support.

"Yeah! I mean... unless you want me to help beat someone up. Then unless they really, truly deserve it, I'm gonna have to pass, sorry." 

They both laughed together, and Kris was relieved to know that his little joke wasn't insensitive.

"Well uh... I mean, if you really mean it..." Susie blushed harder, and her breathing grew a bit heavier. "Are... are you okay if I crash here for the night? I-I-I mean you don't have to if you don't want to!" Susie sputtered anxiously, almost as if she were deeply ashamed of herself for asking, "I mean, heh, you'd be sleeping with a girl in your house without your mom hanging around to make sure we don't do anything _'forboden and sinful_ _!'_ "

Kris choked back laughter at the shrill imitation of Toriel's infamous scolding when she caught public displays of affection at school.

"Yeah, if you say no I'll understand, but... this place is real nice, y'know?" Susie said, smiling oh-so-sweetly. "It's got good food, soft beds, video games! I don't..." she awkwardly turned away again. "I don't have anything like that back home."

"Because you don't actually have a home, do you?"

Susie gasped like she had been stabbed in the gut, and her eyes were wide with fear. Kris was actually a bit surprised himself: he didn't mean to ask the big armor piercing question, it slipped out without him even thinking. But considering all the hints Susie was dropping, and just how bad things were for her... maybe the time somebody asked her that had long since passed.

"Wha- y-y-you knew?!" Susie sputtered out.

"I figured it out a few minutes ago. Didn't say anything because I didn't want to embarrass you, but... it was pretty obvious when I stepped back and looked at the facts."

Susie's breathing got all funny, and her hands trembled. She took a deep breath, and regained her composure before properly confirming Kris' fears.

"W-Well, you're right. I don't have a home. I've got no food waiting for me, no loving family to keep me safe, all I've got are the clothes on my back and an old park bench on the other side of town."

Susie shifted her bangs so they were covering her eyes again, but Kris had a feeling they were welling up as she finally admitted the truth about her living situation.

"Susie, I'm... I'm so sorry." Kris apologized. "God, I-I don't even know what to say."

Susie chuckled bitterly and shook her head before wiping her eyes with a jacket sleeve. "No need to say anything. You're listening, and that's good enough for me. You're pretty easy to talk to, y'know."

Kris nodded, but hated the fact that he couldn't do more for her.

"If ya feel bad for me, don't. It's not all  _that_ awful, y'know: I spend most of the day at school, I can still scrounge up crap to eat, and sometimes I duck into the librarby or the diner after hours and sleep on the seats. So it's not like I'm having to rough it out ALL the time." She blushed shamefully and looked away from Kris. B-But I'm not gonna lie, some nights suck harder than others. And tonight really,  _really_ sucked. So uh... I don't think I'll ever be thankful enough for you looking out for me like this, it's way more than I deserve."

"Are you kidding me? No one deserves to live like that, especially you!" Kris argued.

Susie went from chuckling to full-on laughing. it was scathing, scornful, and filled with a kind of venom the likes of which Kris never heard before. "Pssh, are you kidding?! If there's anyone who deserves that kind of lifestyle, it's me!"

"Susie, how- how could you even say something like that?!"

Susie took a deep breath, and exhaled long and loud before speaking up again. "Heh. When I was little, I asked myself the same question. I thought, "How could this happen?!" and "I don't deserve this!" But it didn't take long for me to realize the truth..." Susie glanced up at a picture of a smiling Toriel holding the hands of a tiny Asriel and Kris respectively that was hanging near the TV. "And I've got my mom to thank for that, y'know? She was the one who opened my eyes..."

Kris felt like he just had the wind knocked out of him, and wasn't sure he wanted to listen to what was coming.

"Ever since I was a tiny little kid, mom never hid how much she hated me. She'd yell at me for making messes, she'd roll her eyes if I cried, she'd throw away my toys if I acted up, she..." She took a deep breath before continuing, "She'd smack me to the ground if I made her mad when she'd drink."

Kris placed a hand over his mouth. As naggy as she was, Toriel was an absolute saint of a mother. The thought of someone in her position treating her own kid so horribly... despite getting a first hand look at this sort of parenting in the Dark World, it was still unfathomable to think of it happening in his own world.

"Heh, I see that look on your face. Don't worry, it wasn't all doom, gloom, and suckage. Mom didn't even bother looking after me half the time. Nah, most of the time she was in her room letting me do whatever while she drank or cried. Other times she'd just leave the house for days and force her mom to take care of me." A genuine smile spread across Susie's lips, and the chuckle that followed was just as authentic. "Grandma was pretty great. She'd let me watch TV whenever I wanted, she'd bring me all these toys, candy, video games... and unlike mom? She loved having me around. She'd tell me stories about her life, and they were always super cool! She'd sit with me when I'd play with my toys and get invested in all the dumb stories I'd make up, and she'd even watch me play my video games. She always really liked Yoshi..." Susie chuckled again. "And at night, when I'd feel sad and lonely? She'd hold me close and sing to me until I'd fall asleep. She made it easy to ignore how much my home life sucked."

Her smile was long gone, replaced with a neutral expression Kris couldn't read. "Well it didn't last: when I was eight, grandma just stopped coming. Never saw her again. Mom told me it was because grandma didn't love me anymore and got tired of watching me. Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn't, don't think I'll ever know." Her voice had gotten quieter and shakier. "But a few weeks later on my ninth birthday, mom woke me up early in the morning saying that she wanted to take me somewhere special for my birthday. We drove for hours from our hometown, through a city, and into the countryside... 'cause I was a dumbass kid, nothing seemed off to me: I really did think we were going someplace cool. But before I knew it, we reached good old Hometown, and she took me over to some picnic tables out near the lake. She told me to stay where I was, 'cause she was going to get us something special for breakfast." She laughed bitterly and shook her head once more. "I think the sun was setting when it hit me that she was never coming back."

Kris opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was still struck completely speechless by the complete, utter failure of a parent Susie's mother was.

"Like I said earlier, when I realized that mom had dumped me, I freaked out like the little wuss I was: I screamed and bawled, hoping that she'd come back or... or that grandma would find me and take me with her. But that night, nobody came. I stayed up all night laying on that picnic table hungry, cold, and scared as hell. I didn't get why she ditched me at first... but since I was alone and had a lot of free time on my hands, I did some thinking. And I thought back to all those times she'd get drunk and plop on the couch, moaning and groaning about me and how I ruined her life. That if she had thrown me out with the trash she'd be going to college to become a doctor, and not having to care for some crappy baby at sixteen..."

Susie wiped at her eyes with her sleeve again. "It all made too much sense, Kris. When I was born, I ruined her life. She wasted time and money keeping me fed and clothed, and that day when I came here? I guess she was tired of me weighing her down and wanted to make something of herself. So she tossed me out like garbage and never looked back." She chuckled, bitterly this time. "And she was right, y'know. Look at what I've become seven years later: some dumb thug bully who scares the hell out of people, gets in trouble with the law all the time, and is close to getting expelled from school after all the trouble your mom went through to get her enrolled... guess I'll always be the same piece of trash that ruined her life."

Then, she went quiet. Kris remained silent, and just let everything sink in: all the anger, the self-hatred, the horrible upbringing Susie had. And he thought back to how she acted that fateful day they were taken to the Dark World. Her joke about being annoyed that she couldn't impale herself was so painfully unfunny in hindsight, and her remarks about how everyone secretly wanted her expelled from school, or that she never really expected anyone to want to be her friend were so much more painful. But along with the crushing sadness, he felt something far fiercer... anger. Anger directed at her failure of a mother for ruining her self esteem, anger directed at life itself for crapping all over Susie... but deep at his core? He was most angry at Susie, for not realizing how great of a person she really was.

"So that's really how you feel, huh? That you're garbage, and that you don't deserve anything nice in life?"

"Yeah!" Susie insisted, "If I wasn't born, I wouldn't have made everyone's lives so much worse! Mom would be a doctor, the kids here wouldn't have to worry about getting their faces eaten off, there wouldn't be this ugly dumb hobo leeching off of everyone in town-"

"Susie?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Susie gasped and recoiled, her mouth hanging open dumbly. "Kris, wha-"

"No, just shut up for a second and listen!" Kris barked. "I'm not going to sit around here and let you talk about yourself like this! Seriously, calling yourself garbage, acting like the world would be a better place without you and that your mom was right to abandon you... Susie, did you forget about everything that happened in the Dark World?"

"I betrayed you guys and acted like a total dickhead! I was awful down there!"

"Awful? Really?" Kris answered, far more exasperated and emotional than the normally stoic youth was used to. "When Lancer was causing trouble, you made friends with him anyway! You guys goofed off together, had tons of fun messing with me and Ralsei, and when we got into that fight, you stuck up for the little guy when I beat down on him! In the span of what, six hours? You were pretty much a better parent to him than his scumbag dad could ever dream of being!"

"But-"

"And so what if you were a jerk? You may have beaten up on all those Darkners and been rude to us, but when the chips were down and things got serious? You got your act together and became one hell of a team player! You stopped beating up Darkners, stopped bullying Ralsei… and you put up the biggest fight against the King out of all of us! And again: _you saved my life!_ So who cares what your mom said to you all those years ago?!"

Now that he got all that rage out, it dissipated in the air, and Kris could feel a gentle calmness wash over him. "Susie, you didn't ruin your mom's life. She did that to herself, and was a big enough coward to blame someone who couldn't fight back. You're not garbage: you're one hell of a girl! And I'd bet you anything that Ralsei and Lancer would back me up on that."

Susie placed a hand over her mouth, truly shocked by the raw display of emotion and passion Kris had shown her. To have her entire pessimistic, self-defeating world view thrown back in her face... she really didn't seem to know how to handle it. But eventually, she found her voice, which was shaky and weak.

"K-Kris...?"

"Yeah?"

Susie didn't answer with words: she lunged towards the boy and pulled him towards her in a bone-splintering bear hug. Her chest heaved and shook with muffled sobs, and he could feel a wetness on the side of his face that indicated tears rolling down her eyes. She didn't have to say anything to get him to return that hug with as much strength as he could muster.

"Don't let go. D-D-Don't you  _dare_ let go."

"I won't Susie, I promise."

And for a while they just sat there: locked in a tight embrace as Susie cried onto Kris' shoulder, finally coming to grips with the fact that she was truly loved and valued by someone. That her adventures in the Dark World were living proof that she was better than she thought she was. That she was more than just trash waiting to be thrown away. After a good four minutes of hugging and gentle, comforting rubs on Susie's back, the lizard let go and brushed her bangs out of her eyes before wiping the tears out of them.

"God, I'm such a wimp, aren't I?"

"No, I get it. Those aluminum allergies of yours are a real pain, aren't they?"

Susie cracked up at Kris' playful attempt at helping her save face, her shaky laughter echoing through the Dreemurr household as she finished wiping her eyes dry. 

"Yeah, damn allergies..." Susie flashed one of her heart-stopping, sugary sweet smiles at Kris, and his pulse quickened. "But seriously Kris... heh, it's probably gotten REAL old hearing this tonight, but thanks. Thanks for feeding me, for taking me in, for listening to all my bullcrap… for everything. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

"And you're probably tired of hearing this, but you don't need to apologize." Kris answered with a chuckle. "And uh, honestly? I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that. Last thing you needed during your emotional low was me yelling and screaming at you."

"Psssh, you dork!" Susie teased, giving him one of her trademark punches to the arm. "You give me a much needed kick in the pants and APOLOGIZE for it?! What kinda wimp ARE you?!"

"A wimp that cares about you very much."

Susie laughed, slapping a palm over her eyes the way she did when something really got her goat. When she calmed down, she sighed and stared wistfully at the TV. "So... what happens next?"

"I was wondering that myself." Kris answered. "Are you sure you don't have any place to go?"

Susie frowned. "Well... when your mom found me on her morning jog, way back the day after I was dumped here? She sent me to live with Father Alvin at the church. He seemed like a nice guy since he set up an air mattress, fed me, and clothed me... but I was scared back then, you know? After the stunt mom pulled with me, after being told that my grandma didn't love me, I was afraid that he'd leave me too. That he was only trying to look nice by taking me in. I was so scared of being betrayed again, I ditched him and started living out around town. I'd constantly be dragged back there after getting arrested for tagging walls or beating people up, but I'd always be back out on the streets... do you think I should move back in with him?"

"I don't see why not: Father Alvin's a really nice guy." Kris promised. "Sure he's kinda boring and... well, preachy, but he'd never abandon you or turn his back on someone in need."

"Yeah, he always was really nice and sweet about having me back at church, even if I'd kick him in the shin and run, like, five minutes later. But he also kinda cramps my style." Susie remarked with a chuckle, before frowning. "You know, Isuppose I could also do some digging and see if my grandma's still around. She wasn't super old or anything by grandma standards since my mom gave birth to me pretty young, so she's probably still alive..." she awkwardly gazed into her lap and frowned. "Th-That seems like the best thing I could do but... but what if she actually DID hate me? What if she doesn't want to me live with her?"

"Come on Susie, there's no way your mom wasn't lying about her."

"I know! I know deep down that's probably the case but... but..." her voice got shaky and uncertain again. "The fear just feels so real, you know? I mean yeah, mom was full of crap, but I grew up so long believing her, it's gonna take a while before I stop being scared of grandma rejecting me..."

"Hey, no one said you had to make a decision right now. If you need to give it some time, I understand." Kris promised.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Susie admitted. "Besides..."

Kris gasped: Susie placed her enormous clawed hand over his own smaller hand, and tightly gripped it.

"I'd be leaving you behind, you know? You mean way too much for me to ditch like that."

"Well uh- Susie, I uh-" Kris' heart was pounding at a rate similar to that of machinegun fire, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He really wanted to let go of Susie's hand out of instinct, knowing Toriel would never approve of such an unholy act of sin... but the longer she held his hand? The more he liked it. So with a sheepish smile on his scarlet face, he grabbed Susie's hand back and returned the affection. "W-W-Well thanks, that's sweet of you."

"No prob. It's worth sticking around if it means I get to see my favorite lizard-loving nerd every day~"

"Aw, Susie!"

Susie giggled, then affectionately squeezed and rubbed Kris' hand with her thumb. And so, the two just sat there, holding hands while they stared at the paused Smash game they had long since abandoned. Their fighters Ness and Bowser stood facing off on the top of one of Fourside's skyscrapers, the night sky of the battle stage adding a comforting, relaxing feel to the whole thing. While they stared, Kris yawned, his eyes having grown considerably heavy.

"You tired?" Susie asked, to which Kris nodded.

"Yeah. I'm kinda bushed. Had a long day helping dad at his shop."

"And I suppose all my crying and crap didn't help, huh?" Susie asked, "Heh, yeah, I tend to wear people out. So you heading off to bed?"

Kris almost said "yes", but... he really, really didn't want to get up. It was so comfy, sitting on the couch hand in hand with a gal he'd love to be more than friends with. And she seemed to get the point: she laughed and gently nuzzled his hand again.

"You're okay with sitting here, huh? I don't blame ya, this is a really nice couch..." She turned and grinned at Kris, pointing to the comfy little nook where her shoulder and neck intersected as she did so. "Y'know, if you want to lean your head on my shoulder and use that as a pillow, I wouldn't mind. I bet it'd be pretty comfy..."

Kris didn't delay for a second: he leaned against her with surprising force and rested his head right against Susie's, which was exactly as comfy as advertised. He nuzzled up against Susie's head and closed his eyes. "Thanks."

"No prob, nerd." Susie chuckled, nuzzling against his head as well. "Hope you don't mind if I play a bit by myself before going to bed too..."

"Nah..." Was all Kris had to say before drifting off to dreamland. Susie rubbed his thigh affectionately and picked up his controller, unpaused the game... and took this as an opportunity to take the last of Kris' stocks, winning the match. She knew it was cheating... but honestly? Kris wouldn't mind. He was a good sport about this kind of thing. And so, she set her sights on starting a game of Adventure mode and played long into the night, all thoughts of shame and self-hatred out of her head. Starting today, she was going to be putting those thoughts out with the garbage...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, man, this story. This goddamn story. I had so much fun writing this story, you wouldn't even believe. For the first time in my life, I've finished a multi-chapter story and never abandoned it. And god damn, looking back at it I really love how it looks. It's not perfect, but I feel it's one of the best stories I've written. Playing Deltarune, I really fell in love with it's characters, Susie in particular. She was amazing in every regard: design, attitude, playstyle, writing... I figured that she was a deeply troubled individual with one hell of a sad story explaining her less than pleasant personality and really wanted to explore the circumstances of her attitude. And since I love the idea of her being romantically involved with Kris, a fellow long haired, troubled youth who has trouble connecting with others, I thought having her vent to him after he showed her kindness would make for a great story.
> 
> So to the guys following this story, thanks for enjoying it! I loved reading all your comments! And to the community I originally wrote this for... if you're here, you know what I'm talking about. You guys, more than anything, were my key inspiration for writing about this troubled little dinosaur delinquent. So thanks for the support, guys.


End file.
